The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday briefly opened a safe corridor allowing thousands of Gazans who have been trapped in the northern reaches of the strip to evacuate to safer zones in the south as its soldiers tightened their grip on the Hamas stronghold.

Despite orders from Hamas telling them to stay in their homes, thousands of Palestinians took advantage of the offer. An IDF spokesman stationed along the corridor said many of them waved white flags as they passed Israeli tanks positioned in the area along the corridor. 

“Use this opportunity to go south to the other side of Wadi Gaza,” the spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, posted in Arabic on social media sites, referring to a body of water that separates the southern and northern parts of the Palestinian territory. “Many are doing so at this time. If you care for yourselves and your loved ones, move south according to our instructions. You can be sure Hamas leaders have already taken care of their own needs.”

Israeli ground forces backed by airstrikes and artillery have encircled Gaza City, the base of Hamas’ power, since the weekend. They cut the strip in half and have urged civilians to evacuate as its troops advanced. Tens of thousands, however, have chosen to remain in the area.

According to Israeli press reports, the Hamas Information Ministry rejected the overture and urged residents in the north to stay home. The evacuation, it said, is part of a propaganda campaign. “The army rounded up dozens of Palestinians who asked to evacuate to the south and photographed them in a humiliating way to argue that there is flow of refugees to the south,” Hamas said in a statement.

Israel’s military said that, at one point, their troops came under Hamas fire when trying to open the road over the weekend. Prime Minister Netanyahu repeated the sentiment in an interview with ABC News broadcast late Monday.

“We are fighting an enemy that is particularly brutal. They are using their civilians as human shields, and while we are asking the Palestinian civilian population to leave the war zone, they are preventing them at gunpoint,” Mr. Netanyahu said.

Hundreds of hostages taken on October 7 are believed to be held in the northern part of the strip. In a speech Tuesday, the head of Israel’s southern command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, said rescuing as many of the hostages is a primary concern of the current operations.

“For the first time in decades, the IDF is fighting in the heart of Gaza City, in the heart of terror. It is a complex and difficult war, and unfortunately it also has taken a toll,” he said.